{mosimage}PRESS RELEASE - "It is shameful that the British government has persuaded the EU to defy a ruling of the European Court on the status of Iran's resistance group."

PRESS RELEASE

2 February 2007

"It is shameful that the British government has persuaded the EU to defy a ruling of the European Court on the status of Iran's resistance group.

"The Court of First Instance last December annulled a Council of Minister's decision freezing the assets of the PMOI on the grounds that it was involved in terrorist acts. It ordered the Council to pay most of the PMOI's legal costs.

"Now the UK has persuaded the EU's Economic and Financial Affairs Council to defy the court judgement and keep PMOI assets frozen.

"When the UK signed up to the European Court, it agreed to abide by its decisions. What the UK has done makes a mockery of the court and sends another signal to Iran to continue developing nuclear weapons, arming, training and paying 30,000 of its agents in Iraq to kill British troops and trying to topple the government of Lebanon.

"Instead of backing those who have stolen freedom from the Iranian people and denied their human rights the UK should support the Resistance which offers a secular democracy and respect for law.

"The Council of Ministers must now implement the court decision and unfreeze PMOI assets and remove it from the list of terror groups."

EndsNote to editors: The PMOI is part of the coalition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran which is a non-violent resistance movement. Lord Corbett of Castle ValeChairman, British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom